Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Embrace the New World. Or better yet, manipulate the fuck out of it! Nice to see dinosaurs like U2 pull off a fantastic new release strategy today.

All tech and fanboy eyes were on Apple today when they announced the new iPhone and the possibly game-changing Apple Watch. Hopefully more relevant to your interests as a Too Poppy reader however, U2 did in fact perform at the conclusion of the Apple event as rumored. Excitingly they also announced the instantaneous release of their new full-length studio album Songs of Innocence. Brilliant.

As an Apple geek I watched it all unfold in real time via live-bloggers - er - I mean I was working all day and only just read about it. My jaw quite literally dropped before transforming to a dumb-ass grin as U2 announced they were actually giving the album away free to all iTunes users! I was quite pleased to come home, fire up the MacBook, and find the album in my iTunes.

After today I expect the whole stunt to be referenced in dictionary examples of the word synergy. In an age where every artist wants someone, anyone, to hear their music so they could possibly make a living out of it, kudos to U2 for capturing the moment and setting a precedent. Of course the genius of it was the shock value so it will be hard to replicate. But it's the New World! Play along or get the hell off!

P.S. The music is exactly what you'd expect from post-prime U2. Soaring guitars, earnest lyrics, and Bono. It's not groundbreaking nor is it merely a boring retread of past success. It sounds precisely like U2 in 2014, which from me should be interpreted as a compliment.